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June 3, 2009

"Cult of Rob": Are we really just in love with Edward?

Alex Bilmes from GQ Daily ponders Robert Pattinson's popularity, and wonders if women of all ages are really into RPattz, or just Edward:

But my hunch, for what it's worth, is that it's not really Robert you're all in love with. It's dreamy Edward Cullen, the sensitive immortal he plays in Twilight. It's Edward, the sexually frustrated vampire, who flutters your hearts. Edward the ghostly pale, softly spoken, ever-loving un-dead bloodsucker. Edward the fast. Edward the strong. Edward the not-a-23-year-old-thespian-from-Barnes. And the reason you're all so in love with Edward is you want to be Bella Swan, the best protected girl in history, watched over and doted on by her admiring schoolfriends, her good cop dad, her groovy absent mother, her new vampire family, and her gorgeous boyfriend.

45 comments:

not for me. Rob is funny and humble and embarrasses himself pretty easily. Edward is, well, a little uptight sometimes. And even though he can be rather charming himself, he doesn;t really do it for me. Bella can keep Edward- I just want Rob :)

i think this used to be true, but it's changing...he is the physical representation of Edward Cullen, but he's also the actor who is making amazing choices for his career. he writes and performs captivating music. he appears to be besotted by his co-star in real life (which makes him even more attractive). he's not pretending- you can feel that. if he's uncomfortable or unhappy you can see it in photos or videos. i have had many crushes on various actors in my lifetime (longer than i will admit here), but I have never come across any actor who is so open and honest about who he is. it makes me feel strangely protective of him! i think the machine could destory him. i admit that this all sounds insane and irrational- just the fact that i took the time to read the post and write this surely means i am pathetic in some way i have yet to understand, but i can't seem to help myself for now. for now, it's a wonderful obsession that makes my life more enjoyable than it was before him.

First thing I noticed, this was written by a MAN.So I really can't take them too seriously when it comes to trying to explain why girls are so into Edward's character. If men would just shut up and look at the kind of person Edward portrays, they would learn a lot about what women want.And for another thing, I can't say this for everyone (well specifically all those annoying tweens that treat Twilight like some kind of boyband), but when people are a fan of someone, it's not b/c they play a certain role. It's b/c they appeal to that someone for numerous reasons. That's how it is for me anyway.God people, men especially, need to quit generalizing and complaining about things that women are interested in. That's why it's so hard to find someone out there like Edward (the man, not the vampire). It's very sad.

Can't we love both? Yes the character of Edward Cullen made us notice Rob. But if Rob was absent of talent, hottness, humbleness, and that rare magnetic quality only a few people have, we wouldn't all be in love with him, right? My friend actually had a crush on him in his Harry Potter debut. In the end I would say that had he not played Edward Cullen we all would not be crazy about Rob. But hey he made the character of Edward all his own. If he was a douche would we not like him, good thing he's nice down to earth, humble guy!

I agree with the other posts in response to your article. Edward Cullen is one thing... a fictional character...Robert Pattinson is another, a talented human with what I can tell a genuine soul and a fantastic artistic talent that spans genres from music to acting. You can see it in his eyes. He's got character and a sweet, genuine personality. Every interview he does just makes me smile. He's so unguarded. He's real. I too hope the paparazzi pull back on him and give him is due privacy. So far he seems to be taking it in stride and not letting it get to him, but a person can only take so much, and I hope hope hope he doesn't crack. I have never been so facinated by an actor...there's something about his charm, his "goofiness," his honesty that makes him so attractive. Of course his good looks help too. But really, it's b/c he really seems to be a good, genuine, and talented person. I hope he continues to excel in everything he does. Please Alex Bilmes... don't be so condescending to us. We know the difference between Edward Cullen the fictional character, and Robert Pattinson the genuine human.

Rob all the way! I hear a lot of reporters and folks trying to generalize that oh it must be something else, it can't just be ROB, well, why the hell not. Edward is a great fictional character but Rob is the one who made him great imo. I watched Twilight though and wanted to know more about ROb the person, the actor the wonderful guy.

P.S. For Anonymous who said "it makes me feel strangely protective of him!".... I so agree!! It'so mind boggling...I don't get it. I've never felt like this for a person I don't know...I don't want the "machine" to get him. Everything you said, I've thought. We're on the same page.

I have to say that yes, I love Edward Cullen and yes I love Rob's portrayl of Edward cullen. But have to admit I'm a fan of Rob's. There are many actors and actresses that I like their work but don't necessarily like them as a person. From what I've seen of him, I like. He seems like a genuinely good person, okay an extremely hot, good person. You get to see glimpses of his personality in interviews and see that he's a funny guy. I would not be such a big fan of his if he was strictly eye candy and nothing else. So yes we all love Edward but we love Rob as well.

Duh, hasn't this issue already been explored? I know most people think all Twilighters are 13 year old girls but that's not the case. Any intelligent person can differentiate between the actor and the fictional character he plays. Edward is great but he's not REAL. And anyone who has met a man (any man) realizes that Edward only exists in our imaginations. Rob however is funny and hot and really looks better without the crazy vampire makeup.

I don't understand the whole Robert obsession. He seems like a nice enough guy - maybe even a bit dorky and goofy but???

I think his Edward character is way hotter and magnetic than he himself. So I guess you could say he is a good actor. But he is not that handsome really -`from the eyes up I like him but not from the nose down. He doesn't really do anything for me. But I will concede he seems like a nice type of guy.

I find Rob the most charismatic, soulful, amazingly humble, soul....I can't stop looking at him, listening to him, and reading about him...I love me some Edward, but ROB does it for me...and I am so far away from 13 I can't remember when it was...

I love the Twilight Saga. I'm loving what Chris Weitz is doing with New Moon. That said, Robert Pattinson is absolutely far and away one of the handsomest, sexiest young men I have ever had the honor to watch. I think Edward's character is wonderful, every woman's fantasy. I think Rob is every woman's dream. I love his accomplishments and want him to succeed in everything he does. He's artistically accomplished, down to earth, will say anything and is just plain so hot it's unbelievable. Like many of the women who have already commented, I am way past the teenie bopper stage...I mean way past. Call me an "old cougar" but I can't get enough of him. Also, let me just say that when I was a young woman, I would have had me a piece of that action, for sure.

I can absolutely say that I am 100 percent in love with Edward...I think that Rob portrays him fairly well...but I prefer the Edward I have in my head...the one that I created and who, with each book became molded into what I wanted him to be...

Well, duh!! Robert is a sort of nice-looking young man but he can only approximate Edward. I'm used to him but he isn't Edward. I think what that writer said is correct -- we all can see ourselves as awkward, shy Bella, and it is a thrill that someone as special as Edward would fall in love with us/her. Not sure who I'd choose to portray Edward. I think the actor Stephenie liked would have been good but he got too old to play the part. A shame. Oh well. We'll just have to make due with "Movie Edward" as Lauren calls him.

I wont even read the article. People, like Miley Cyrus, who say that we love Rob because he plays Edward are ignorant baboons!

Love is a strong word. It's used too flipantly and people forget the power of that small word. LOVE.

We all love Edward to a certain degree. And yes, some girls, mostly younger girls, tend to mix up the reality of Edward with the human being, Rob Pattinson. It's understandable...to a point.

For me, a rationally thinking, married, 31 year old mom of 3 boys, has a gigant crush on Rob, not Edward.

1. Rob is beautiful. Humans, female or male, respond to beauty, and Rob has that in abundance. His soft fly away hair, his smiling blue eyes, his beautiful smile, his kissable jaw, not to mention his fabulous tall body. To put it simply, Rob is beautiful.

2. He's multi talented. He's an actor, a poet, a writer, a reader, a musician, and from what we've learned over the years, a very funny, nice young man. Down to earth.

3. He's shy and humble to the point of pain. When people see beauty we expect arrogance and vanity. But Rob presents the opposite. He honestly doesnt understand why we fall out of our chairs and lose our minds when we see him.

He's an endearing, sweet, honest, charasmatic, captivating human being. So no, when I squee it's for Rob. No confusion here.

I like Edward for who he is one of the best characters I ever had the pleasure to read about. I like Rob for himself, he is one the most sweetest guys in the world, he is humble, multi-talented, he doesn’t put on airs, he doesn’t care what people think of himhe is true to himself. He is a unique individual, a one of kind, not to mention drop dead gorgeous. He has a great smile, great cheek bones, a sense of humor, great hair, and a great body. Most importantly he is very humble, and I really like that about him.

playing edward cullen is what got me to notice rob. It was the interviews and public appearances where we got glimpses into who he is that made me like him. He's humble,funny and attractive. my husband even thinks he seems like a cool guy to hang with.

Perfectly said Kerri!! I didn't even know who he was when I watched Twilight, but I heard the song Let me sign in the movie. started to research who sang that song, because I fell in love with that voice- never knowing it was him until after researching. I guess I could just listen to him sing all day. No confusion with Edward- HE IS FICTIONAL!!

Only a man could write such rubbish! Another man, however, nailed it: commenting on Pattinson in Twilight the critic of the Wall St. Journal wrote 'smooth as glass', 'a born movie star'. Edward has no star quality, but RP does; Edward is a figment of the author's wet dream, RP exists & is breathtakingly, gut-wrenchingly, sexually beautiful. The depth of his appeal to women of all ages is unique. Nothing captures this appeal better than his reaction to Jim Carey's comment on 'the good-looking kid from Twilight': he looked surprised, turned on his million-dollar smile, then dropped his eyes & blushed to the roots of his hair. Either he is real in an artificial setting or else he already is the best actor of his generation (which I expect down the line).